My classmates/friends and I visited Crush Wines and Spirits located on 153 East 57^th street. We had quite an interesting journey from start to finish. For starters, Cindy had called the wine shop in advance, the day before, and made a reservation with a manager to get a tour and to be able to ask questions. Unfortunately, when we arrived the next day, it was a totally different story. When we walked into the wine shop, we were very amazed at all of the wine selections on the wall and at all of the wines we had covered in wine class. We then began to talk to the cashier about having a reservation and she exclaimed that the store was super understaffed and we can email them any questions we might have. Instead of leaving right away, we decided to look around, and as we did this we talked about how frustrated we were. Veronica Stoler, the manager, overheard us and asked us what was wrong and that she would be pleased to help us with any questions we may have.

After all of the mishaps we encountered, it turned out to be a lovely experience. We learned that they mostly sell vintage French wines. To better understand their wine store and selection of wines we asked a few specific questions. Such as:

1. What are your most popular wines or trends you see?

• Pinot Grigio, Prosecco, Sparkling white wine, and spirits ( mostly cognac- Louis XIII)

2. Do you have more old world wine or new world wine?

• More old world French wine

3. Why are some of your wines at a lower or discounted price? In what moths do you               sell the most wine?

• Wines are lower or discounted because if the store wants to sell a bottle of wine for a cheaper price they buy a bulk of wine. Or it could mean something happened to the wine or it has been discontinued. They sell the most wines in OND which is October, November, and December.

We then asked her the question, at what temperature is it best to store wine or an opened bottle of wine? This is where the real tour began. She then took us into their cellar located inside of the wine shop. She showed us that the temperature is supposed to be between 50 and 57 degrees. She also showed us that the floor was made out of rubber, so that the vibrations do not mess with the cork. We also learned that the bottles lay flat, so that the cork in the wine can stay moist. By the way she hated the word “moist”.

Overall, I can say that my friends and I had a great experience and that we left the wine shop more knowledgeable about wine.

The front of Crush Wines and Spirits

                           Spirits Section

Loire Valley, Sancerre, and Sauvignon Blanc

Bordeaux, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot